West Texas Does Wine, Mostly Right
Loop 250 / Retail Corridor · Midland · American Gastropub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 3, 2026
Wingman Metrics
For Midland, Texas — a city better known for oil rigs than orange wine — Cork & Pig's 30-label list is a genuine effort. You flip through it expecting a Kendall-Jackson graveyard and instead find Stag's Leap, DeLille Cellars, and a Petit Chablis from France. The ambition is real.
The list leans hard California, which isn't a surprise for the audience, but there are some thoughtful outliers: the DeLille Cellars D2 from Columbia Valley, Moshin Vineyards Pinot Noir out of Russian River Valley, and a nod to local pride with William Chris Vineyards' Skeleton Key Cab from Texas. Il Borro Super Tuscan rounds out a small but present Italian contingent. The gaps are mostly on the lighter, food-friendly end — no Beaujolais, no Pinot Gris, no Grüner — but for a gastropub in West Texas, the range genuinely impresses.
Twenty-two pours by the glass on a 30-bottle list is an unusually high ratio, and we respect the commitment — almost everything on the list is accessible without a full bottle commitment. Social Hour (Monday through Friday, 3–6 PM) knocks whites down to $6 and reds to $7, which is legitimately the best deal in the building. Outside of that window, glass prices run $10–$21, which is fair given the brands on offer.
William Chris Vineyards Skeleton Key Cabernet Sauvignon — Unknown — list price not published per bottle
Supporting a Texas producer in Texas is always a good look, and William Chris makes some of the most honest Cab the state has to offer. Order it during Social Hour and it's a genuine steal.
Domaine Passy Le Clou Petit Chablis
Nobody in Midland is ordering the Petit Chablis — they're all grabbing the Rombauer. That's your opportunity. Crisp, mineral, zero oak, and a legitimate break from the Chardonnay-saturated rest of the list.
Stag's Leap 'The Leap' Cabernet Sauvignon
At $231 a bottle, you're paying a significant premium for a label that impresses at the table but is widely available elsewhere for considerably less. It's a flex, not a value.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon + Tavern Burger
Austin Hope is big, ripe, and built for red meat — exactly what a proper gastropub burger calls for. Paso Robles fruit weight stands up to the char without steamrolling the whole plate.
Monday–Friday — Social Hour runs 3PM–6PM. White wine for $6/glass, red wine for $7/glass.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Cork & Pig is doing more with wine than anyone should expect from a retail-corridor gastropub in Midland. The markups sting a little at the top end, but the Social Hour pricing and the breadth of the by-the-glass program make this an easy recommendation for locals who want something better than house red.
North Midland / Loop 250 · Midland · Tex-Mex and Mexican
Abuelo's is a great place to eat enchiladas and drink a margarita — the wine list is an afterthought and should be treated as one. If wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your spot.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Midland · Midland · Urban Winery
Texas Sun Winery is a genuinely weird and fun detour in a city not known for wine culture — the sangria program is novel, the Texas wine wall is an unexpected bonus, and the by-the-glass markup is something to watch. Come for the experience, order the bottle, skip the solo glass.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Midland · Midland · Urban Winery
Texas Sun is a genuine local story in a city that doesn't have many of them, and for that alone it earns a visit. Just set your expectations to 'fun afternoon on the patio' rather than 'deep wine exploration' and you'll leave happy.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Midland · Midland · Event Venue / Pizza & Small Plates
Pi Social isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't bill itself as one. If you're in Midland, grabbing a glass of Prosecco before a pizza on the patio, this does the job without gouging you — and that's a reasonable ask.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Midland · Midland · Wine Bistro
Texas Sun Winery Bistro is doing something genuinely unusual in a city where the default move is a steakhouse Cab — a house-label global list with fair prices, 38 pours by the glass, and Armenian wines you won't find anywhere else in the Permian Basin. Send your most wine-curious friend here and tell them to ignore the Malbec.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Midland · Midland · Italian, Neapolitan-style pizza, modern American
Pi Social isn't going to win any wine program awards, but the Thursday half-price bottles and a surprisingly solid Villa Matilde Aglianico make it worth skipping the cocktail menu at least once. For Midland, this is a respectable effort — show up on Thursday and drink smarter than the room.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Topeka · American Gastropub
The Pennant is a great place to bowl, eat a burger, and knock back a cheap drink — just don't come expecting anything from the wine list. Order the sangria, enjoy the arcade, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · Fort Collins · American Gastropub
Come to The Moot House for the atmosphere, the craft beer, and the fish and chips — not the wine. This list is a placeholder, not a program, and the markups don't justify the effort of choosing carefully.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Akron · Akron · American Gastropub
Good Company is a wings joint that hired someone with taste to pick the wine list, and it shows. We'd absolutely send a friend here with instructions to skip the Cab and go straight for the bubbles.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.